


Photograph

by KisaraMoriarty777



Series: Hellraiser Fanfictions [2]
Category: Hellraiser & Related Fandoms, Hellraiser (Comics), Hellraiser (Movies)
Genre: Boys In Love, Declarations Of Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Heart-to-Heart, Heartache, Loss of Trust, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23088118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KisaraMoriarty777/pseuds/KisaraMoriarty777
Summary: Pinhead has a secret he has done his best to keep hidden. He had a secret lover. Someone whom he cared deeply about. Someone with whom he shared many moments with.Someone who he can now never get back.After being saved by Face, but having to watch the man he loved die to save him, Pinhead struggles with emotions he had pushed down long ago. In order to work through this, he must learn how to let others, and himself, in. He must learn how to love again, trust again, and feel again.But it is rarely ever simple...
Relationships: Butterball/Flagellum, Face/Pinhead
Series: Hellraiser Fanfictions [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641514
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

The Hell Priest paced around his room, tossing the odd object here and there. No one else dared enter his room. He had only just returned from his journey into his own past, and had recently brought back two of his closest friends. However, he was unable to bring back Gehenna and Face. Though he lied to everyone and told them that he was fine, he was far from it. He missed Gehenna, sure, but he was devastated by something else. Not only had he managed to lose Face, but Face had given his own life to save the Hell Priest. The memories played in Pinhead’s mind like a camera flashing the images on a screen for him.

“Must… save… P… P… Pinhead,” Face had stammered out, rushing to push Pinhead out of the way of Lord Leviathan’s light. Pinhead would have died if it was not for Face. He knew that, yet part of him had rather he had died on that battlefield than suffered knowing that Face had died saving his life. He remembered the pained expression in Face’s eyes when he turned to face the Hell Priest. His flesh was burning off and he was so mangled that Pinhead barely recognized the cenobite at all.

“Remember me… please,” Face had begged, and then he had died there. He died in that field, and Pinhead was not allowed the time to mourn the loss of the man he loved. He had to go on a fight, then come back and pretend he was fine. But alone in his room, Pinhead allowed himself to completely break down.

“Damn it! Why, Lord Leviathan?! Why? What did he ever do to you?! All he did was try!” Pinhead screamed, tears streaming down his face. Tears which he had not cried in what felt like an eternity. He thought back to moments before his love’s death. Face had been saying that he was grateful that Pinhead had saved him from his mortal life. He was gloating about his collecting of faces and asking the Hell Priest which to wear. Pinhead’s mind had been on the battle though.

“There is work to do. Were you saying something important?” he had coldly asked.

“N… no. Nothing at all,” Face had replied, but Pinhead saw the hurt in the cenobite’s eyes.

“You were though. I know you were trying to say something to me. I should have been paying more attention. I am so sorry, Face. I am so sorry. I should have listened,” he sobbed into his own arms. Another memory flashed into his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinhead relives a memory in which Face comes to him with what appears to just be another mask. The two share a heartfelt moment, and a few tears as well.

_Face had come into his room one day. His eyes were glossy, and Pinhead knew he was about to cry. Pinhead could always tell when he was close to crying. Face was wearing one of his masks that Pinhead didn’t recognize, but it had a tear in it._

_“My mask ripped. I didn’t mean for it to,” Face was saying in a low whisper. Pinhead had given him a curious expression at the time._

_“You have others, do you not?” he asked. Face shook his head._

_“No. Not like this one,” he sobbed, tears falling now. It was then that Pinhead realized that the mask was supposed to look like him. Face had made a mask of Pinhead, complete with the pins and all. He had not seen it before because he was not paying attention enough. “It was supposed to be a surprise. The first mask I made in Hell. But it broke… it broke…” he tried to say, but he broke down sobbing. He fell to the ground hard, and Pinhead rushed over to him._

_“Face. It’s ok. It’s ok,” he found himself saying. Face was shaking his head and sobbing harshly._

_“No. No. It’s not ok. It’s not ok! I made it for you, and it broke. I broke it like I do everything!” he screamed, sobbing desperately. Pinhead bit his lip. He knew how much Face blamed himself for everything that went wrong in his human life, including the things that were not actually his fault._

_“Just take it off and we can…” Pinhead had begun to say, but Face pushed him away._

_“NO! No! NO!” he was screaming harshly, shaking like an animal trapped in a cage. Pinhead’s eyes grew wide._

_“I did not mean to offend. I…” he had started to say, but he saw that Face was silently crying now. He was curled into a ball and shaking hard._

_“I can’t take it off. I don’t want you to see my face,” Face whispered. Pinhead knelt down and cupped Face’s chin gently._

_“You could wear a thousand faces, but that matters little to me, Face. The person inside is what matters to me,” Pinhead had told Face. Face looked up at Pinhead with sad eyes._

_“Can I stay here for a little bit?” he had asked. Pinhead had nodded, and the two stayed there. Pinhead holding Face and rocking him gently until sleep had taken the cenobite._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinhead receives comfort and compassion from an unlikely source.

Pinhead sobbed a heaving sob as he tossed a bottle across the room. It was his fault. His fault that Face was dead. Had Face never have had to go back in time, he would still be alive. Still be throwing his little shows and parties in Hell. The parties Pinhead hated to go to but would attend because Face would beg him time after time to go. Face would still be annoying Butterball about who he was dating because everyone in Hell knew he was with someone, and Face wanted to be the first to know.

“Why did you do it? Why did you kill him?” he screamed to his Lord. He hated his Lord. More so than when his own Lord had taken his life before. He hated Leviathan for taking one of the few good things in his life.

“Priest?” he heard a voice call from outside his door. It was Cilice or the female cenobite as most knew her. She sounded worried. He tried his best to compose himself, wiping the tears from his face.

“You may enter,” he called to her. She opened the door to his room with a sympathetic smile.

“You shouldn’t be alone right now,” she told him. He bit his lip, trying not to break down.

“It should have been me,” he choked out. She shook her head.

“You can’t do that to yourself,” she told him.

“He died saving my life, Cilice. My life, and I… I’d give anything to have him back. I don’t even want this life. I am serving the person that killed my… friend. For the first time…” he began.

“You really feel like you are in Hell?” Cilice asked, finishing his sentence. Pinhead gave her a sad smile.

“Right, as usual,” he replied. Cilice gave him an equally sad smile.

“Priest, you have to stop doing this to yourself. It was not your fault Face died. He knew the risks of going back. We all knew the risks of the mission…” she began. Pinhead turned to face her.

“Would you have gone back?” he asked. She nodded.

“You know I would have. Had the harrowers not… created an issue for us, I would have jumped back without hesitation,” she replied. He sobbed again.

“No! That isn’t right!” he screamed.

“I do not understand…” Cilice began.

“You were supposed to say no! I don’t want anyone else to die for me! I can’t let anyone else die for me!” he cried. Tears had begun to stream down his face once again, and he fell to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinhead and Face argue about their relationship, and a shocking truth comes to light.

_“Hell Priest?” a voice questioned from outside of Pinhead’s door. He wiped his face off, trying to hide his tears._

_“Yes. Come in,” he called. He stood up and dusted off his cloak. He turned and saw Face standing in the doorway. He was wearing a blood-red ballgown and a woman’s hat. Most likely for a job, but possibly just for one of his shows. Pinhead felt himself blush a little. Face did not notice this, or at least if he did, he said nothing._

_“Excuse me for bothering you, but there has been…” Face began, but he cut himself off._

_“There has been what?” Pinhead questioned in his serious tone._

_“You were crying,” Face spat out. Pinhead’s eyes widened._

_“Y… you are unsure of what you speak of,” Pinhead stammered out in the most demanding voice he could. Face shook his head._

_“No. I know exactly what I am talking about. You were crying just now. I can see it on your face. What happened?” Face questioned._

_“I… it is hardly your place to question me, Face!” Pinhead had shouted. Face raised a cynical eyebrow._

_“So, you mean to tell me that nothing is wrong at all and that I should go about my day reporting Hell’s issues to you like I didn’t notice you were crying? Like I am just another one of Hell’s pawns who could care less if you were cutting yourself because you were depressed,” Face questioned. Pinhead sighed, sitting down on the bed in his room. Face knew him too well for the Hell Priest to lie. Pinhead had, in the past, harmed himself. Not for the pleasure of it, but rather for much more human reasons. It allowed him an escape from the mental pain he was feeling. Though most had passed it off as the Priest taking on more pleasures of the flesh, Face knew better and had gotten Pinhead the help he needed. But neither had forgotten those dark times, and it would seem Face still knew when Pinhead was upset._

_“Kirsty,” he muttered._

_“Kirsty Cotton?” Face questioned. Pinhead nodded._

_“She told me about my past, Face. When I was human. She told all of my gash about their human lives. I was a soldier, Face. A soldier who fought in the war. I was so depressed that I turned to the lament configuration in order to bring myself any feeling. I was human once, Face. I breathed. I had a family and a home. I **was** someone. Why could I not remember that?” Pinhead had revealed. Face smiled softly. _

_“Maybe because the memories were too painful. Lord Leviathan might have taken them away from you because they were too painful,” Face answered._

_“That makes little sense, Face. Lord Leviathan knows my… liking for pain. Why take that from me?” he asked. Face looked down._

_“There is more than one type of pain, Hell Priest. Some bring pleasure like nothing else… but others hurt more than anything. Emotional pain… it hurts more than anything else. The pain of remembering everything from your past life… it is worst than anything we have done to anyone,” Face had said in a sad tone. Pinhead had then done something that surprised himself. He took Face’s hands in his own and kissed Face softly. Face had turned bright red._

_“M… my lord. I…” Face had begun, but Pinhead had cut him off._

_“I knew you when you were human. I know what you went through. The pain and horror. But look at you now. You are… stunning. Beautiful like no one I have ever seen,” Pinhead had told Face. Face had stood up, pushing Pinhead away._

_“It is just because I am dressed like this. It is confusing you, my lord. I apologize,” Face had said. Pinhead grabbed Face’s hand, pulling him towards the Hell Priest._

_“No, it is not. I have felt like this for you before. Before you wore a dress. Before you looked like this. When you were just… you. I felt this the first moment I saw you when you were human, and the feeling has not died,” Pinhead told Face._

_“T… this cannot be. Please,” Face begged._

_“Why can it not?” Pinhead had asked._

_“Because you are the Hell Priest, and I am… just a thespian. The man no one takes seriously in Hell. The man who they refuse to send on missions because they know I will screw it all up,” Face replied. Tears were in his eyes now, and he was fighting hard not to cry._

_“Who told you that?” Pinhead demanded. Face laughed through his tears._

_“Does it matter?! You know it is true, lord. You know that it is! I…” he had begun, but he stopped._

_“You what?” Pinhead questioned._

_“I was never loyal to Leviathan,” Face quietly admitted._

_“Pardon?” Pinhead asked, not sure he had heard Face correctly. Face was crying now, shaking violently._

_“I was always loyal to you. I will always be loyal to you. Lord Leviathan hates me. I know that. He made you. You are his precious son. I am just the person you created, and I am always going to be grateful for that. For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for that, but he did not make me. And I am supposed to live to serve him even if he is the one that denies my love?” Face replied. Pinhead’s eyes grew wide, and he grabbed Face. Face gave a whimper, shutting his eyes. Pinhead knew it was because Face thought the Hell Priest was going to kill him._

_“Hush,” Pinhead told him._

_“Just make it quick. Please,” Face winced out. Pinhead smiled._

_“It won’t be,” he replied, and then he kissed Face on the lips. Face’s eyes shot open, and he kissed back. The two stood there like that for a moment. Pinhead kissing Face, and Face kissing the Hell Priest back. When the kiss broke, Pinhead saw that Face was crying._

_“Why?” he sobbed._

_“Because I love you. Damn what anyone else thinks. I love you, Face,” he reassured the sobbing cenobite. Face laughed._

_“Love? We are cenobites! We are forbidden to love,” he cried. Pinhead shook his head._

_“No. We are not. I know plenty of cenobites who have fallen in love, and plenty that have been together,” Pinhead replied._

_“Any of them a failure with a Hell Priest?” Face questioned. Pinhead shook his head once more._

_“No, and even if we got together, that would not be the case. Because you are not a failure,” Pinhead said in a calm voice. Face wiped his tears away._

_“Thank you. That means the world to me. You mean the world to me. I love you, Hell Priest,” Face had said._

_“I love you t…”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinhead speaks with Cilice about the secret revealed in his dream and finds out a chilling truth that had been hidden from him for good reasons.

“Hell Priest! Hell Priest!” Pinhead heard a worried voice calling out. He opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor, looking up at Cilice. Cilice had a panicked expression on her face, and she was shaking him.

“I am alright, Cilice. Truly,” he reassured her. She gave him a cynical look.

“Alright? You passed out and started yelling things. Does that sound alright to you?” she reprimanded. He sighed.

“What am I to do, Cilice?” he asked her. She smiled softly at him.

“What do you wish to do?” she asked him back.

“I want Face back,” he replied honestly. She sighed.

“I know you do, my Lord. I know. We all want him back. He was dear to quite a few of us…” Cilice had begun.

“Who called him a thespian?” Pinhead blurted out. Cilice gave him a questioning look.

“Why do you ask, my Lord?” was all she replied.

“He was crying about it one day. I remember that. He had been crying about being called a thespian and made to feel like a fool. It upset him greatly, so naturally, it upsets me,” Pinhead explained. Cilice was biting her lip now, and Pinhead stood up, dusting his cloak off. He stepped towards her, and she took a step back. This was new. Cilice had never feared him. Even when he was remodeling her, she was not afraid. Her face was red now though, and she was looking down.

“My Lord…” she began. He raised an eyebrow.

“Was it you?” he questioned. She looked up at him.

“No! Of course not!” she shouted. The Hell Priest knew Cilice well enough to know when she was lying, and when she was not. This, he could tell, was the truth.

“Then why do you look as though you are afraid?” he questioned. She blushed.

“Because I…” she began, but he finished for her.

“Because you are afraid for someone else,” he said. She nodded.

“They meant no harm by their words, Priest. They were simply stressed after Vasa went sideways. They were already stressed before, but then when that happened…” Cilice began, but that was enough of an answer for him. He knew who was the most stressed about Vasa. The one who had turned on him at the mere mention that he had failed. The same one that begged for forgiveness when he was found innocent. One who was the damage control for Vasa. The organizers of the armies, and the one they checked in with. He knew her well.

“Flagellum,” he hissed, spitting out the cenobite’s name like poison. Cilice’s eyes widened, realizing the mistake she had made.

“Priest! She didn’t mean to upset either of you!” she called as Pinhead stormed out of the room.

“She hurt him. She will pay!” Pinhead replied, his booming voice echoing on the walls of the hallway. “FLAGELLUM!” he shouted. He heard her whimper from down the hallway.

“H… Hell Pr… priest…” she stammered. Chains flew from the walls and pinned her to the wall. Flagellum screamed.

“Did you know how much that nickname hurt him? Do you know the damage you did?” the Hell Priest questioned, his voice filled with rage and fury.

“Priest! Stop it!” he heard someone call. He turned around and was shocked to see Butterball.

“Stay out of this matter!” Pinhead shouted.

“I can’t do that,” Butterball replied.

“Why would that be?” Pinhead demanded.

“I love her,” Butterball confessed. Pinhead let Flagellum go.

“Pardon?” Pinhead questioned. Butterball blushed.

“Priest, Flagellum and I… for the last few years… we have been…” Butterball began, but Pinhead knew what he was going to say. He remembered what Face would always tease the two about. What he would never stop annoying Butterball about.

“Dating,” the Hell Priest began. He then felt light-headed. He could hear Cilice calling out to him. Could make out her figure rushing towards him, but darkness consumed him before she could reach him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an emotional flashback, Pinhead and Face argue about what to do about the Vasa Trials. Face reveals a horrifying secret to Pinhead, who reacts in a way neither expected.

_“The sky is so beautiful today,” Face had said. Pinhead smiled, looking up at the dark red sky. It was the same one they normally viewed, but today it seemed to have a particular shine to it._

_“That it is,” Pinhead replied. The two had just gotten out of the nightmare that was the Vasa Trials, and they were both happy to be outside. Pinhead was standing, and Face was lying on what could barely count as grass._

_“I am going to miss feeling the sun on my face when I lie like this,” Face commented. Pinhead looked down at Face, whose eyes were closed._

_“You will get a chance to feel it again. I am sure of that,” Pinhead told him. Face laughed a little bit._

_“Right. Because after Vasa, they are going to let me back up there. Sounds reasonable,” Face sassed. He was one of the few cenobites who dared sass the Hell Priest, and Pinhead would be lying if he said it did not interest him a little bit._

_“We all made mistakes at Vasa,” Pinhead replied in a monotone voice, remembering his own near-failure. Hell had turned on him, and they turned fast. He had barely anyone left on his side until he managed to convince the courts that he had indeed intended to fail. **He** had gotten lucky. Most of Hell was still afraid of him, so they were willing to take what he said at face value. Face, ironically, was not as lucky. Neither was Atkins, but Atkins was more aggressive than Face. He would kill anyone who dared insult him about Vasa. Face took everything to heart, and the Hell Priest knew how much it was killing him. Face was not aggressive. Would he make those who disappointed him into “pets?” Yes, but those were humans. Would he sass a few people in Hell? Before, yes, but after Vasa, Face had mostly walked around Hell with his head down. It killed Pinhead to see him that way. _

_“No. You had impossible odds. Aids doesn’t have a cure yet, Priest. It won’t for years to come. Lord Leviathan knew that, but he sent you there anyways. Atkins was sent to a war zone. It was something no one should have been thrown into twice. He had impossible odds in a bad situation. PTSD, if that is possible for a cenobite. I had a guy who was a good person. A wonderful wife and loving public. Working on changing the homeless situation. Good guy overall, and I drove him to madness,” Face said._

_“You were not warned about his past, Face. You should have been warned about his past,” Pinhead replied. Pinhead lied down beside Face. He looked over at the cenobite, who had tears forming in his eyes._

_“You know, I keep thinking about that. Why didn’t Lord Leviathan say anything? Why not mention that he had a past issue? Issue. Ha! He killed his own damn sister. Baby sister, to be exact. But Lord Leviathan didn’t tell me anything about it. Just acted like the guy was some saint. How the Hell was I supposed to know that he was insane? How was I supposed to know that asking about his past would drive him mad? There was no way to know, and I keep running it through my mind. Why didn’t he just tell me? Or send someone else to?” Face ranted._

_“The Lord works in mysterious ways,” spoke the Hell Priest in a soft voice. Face looked over at him, wide-eyed._

_“The Hell did you say?” Face demanded. Pinhead’s eyes went wide._

_“I heard it on Earth,” the Hell Priest quickly replied._

_“That is a religious saying, Priest! For the other God. You know… the opposition,” Face began, looking at the ground._

_“I know it is. I never understood it though. Why does that make it ok? Because He is mysterious? He killed my friends, Face. I was in a bloody war, and He killed my friends. He took good men and women from their families. Children, and because he is mysterious, it is ok? No, it is not ok, and what Leviathan did was not ok either. He messed with your life, Face. Tore you down and tore you apart. Made you out to be the villain. Well, I did not see him out there fighting for order!” Pinhead shouted. Face covered Pinhead’s mouth without thinking._

_“Pinhead! You can’t say things like that!” he cried. It was then he realized that he had called him “Pinhead” instead of “Hell Priest.” “I am so sorry! I did not mean to…” Face began, but he heard the Hell Priest chuckle from under his hand._

_“Mhmhmhsddmmm,” the Priest mumbled. Face removed his hand, blushing madly._

_“My apologies. I did not catch that,” Face said._

_“I was attempting to say that I hate that nickname...” Pinhead had begun to say, but Face cut him off._

_“I know. I am so sorry, Priest. It was a slip of the tongue. It will not happen again. I am so…” Face started, however the Hell Priest cut him off this time._

_“Let me finish,” Pinhead’s voice boomed. Face’s eyes went wide, and he looked away._

_“Yes Priest,” he whispered._

_“I hate that nickname, but when it comes from you… it sounds cute. I do not mind it as much if you say it. So, you are allowed to say it, but no one else,” Pinhead told him. Pinhead then thought that he might not mind if Cilice used the nickname, as he could hardly stop her if she wanted to. But he did not feel it was worth adding. At least, not aloud. Face looked at the Priest, shocked._

_“A… are you serious?” Face asked._

_“Do I joke?” the Hell Priest asked. Face shook his head._

_“No, but… you hate that name with a passion. You have killed people over calling you that,” Face countered, his disbelief clear within his voice._

_“Harrowers. I killed harrowers for calling me that, but I would have killed them for less than that. I hated them with a passion, not that nickname. The nickname is annoying, and I do hate it. It is uncreative and when used as an insult, it is pathetic. I find little value in using something true about my body as an insult,” Pinhead replied. Face smiled._

_“Good to know,” he said._

_“You are wrong, you know?” Pinhead blurted out._

_“About what?” Face asked._

_“You are not screwed up. I know that smile is fake, Face. I have seen your real smile and your fake one. Your masks are great, but not perfect. You are perfect though, and never feel you are less than that. Please. You are too amazing to let yourself think that you are less than perfect. Vasa was a flawed mission. So please, do not let your value ride on one mission. You are worth more than that. More than you know,” Pinhead told Face, holding his hands in his own hands. Face sobbed a little, smiling sadly._

_“Thank you,” Face said. He blushed, moving closer to the Hell Priest. The Hell Priest moved close to Face, wishing to close the distance between them…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinhead defends Face's honor and a secret about Butterball is revealed.

“He wasn’t a thespian. He was useful. He was a fighter until the end. He fought the way he knew how to. He wasn’t brought into this world as a soldier. He was…” Pinhead began when he awakened.

“An actor with a capital A?” Cilice question, chiming in as she always did. Pinhead smiled through tears.

“Yes. He called himself that, didn’t he?” Pinhead replied. The two shared a laugh.

"He adored that nickname," Cilice recalled.

"He used to call me Pinhead," the Hell Priest said. Cilice gave him a curious expression.

"You despise that nickname though," Cilice said. "You do not let people call you that because of how pitiful the insult is," she added. She knew that she had called him that a few times, but also knew that she was too feared in Hell for anyone to do anything about it. She knew full well that even the Hell Priest was afraid of her, so she had just assumed that when she accidentally called him that, he had just forgiven her.

"When Face used to call me it, it was never with a bitter edge. It was kind and loving. I never got to tell him, but I loved how he called me Pinhead. It... it was the last thing he ever called me," Pinhead explained. Cilice offered him a sad smile.

"I am so sorry for hurting him, Lord," said Flagellum. Pinhead sighed.

"I know you are. You meant no harm by your words, yet they were laced with poison just the same," Pinhead hissed.

"You killed me. You don't see me holding it against you, now do you?" Butterball hissed back. Pinhead raised his eyebrow.

"Don't see you holding a grudge? Butterball, you hated him since the start. Since he wouldn't let you mess around with Chatterer!" Cilice exclaimed. Flagellum froze in place.

"What?" she asked in a soft voice. Cilice laughed her wicked laugh.

"He didn't tell you? Oh sweet. How sweet! Butterball here was quite the man in his human life. See, he got his fun from... playing with children. Never really the type to go for an older woman, but I guess people change in Hell," Cilice snapped.

"Is she... telling the truth?" Flagellum asked. Butterball snarled.

"Shut your..." he began, but Cilice swiftly stopped him from speaking. She summoned her chains, and they wrapped around his throat like snakes coiling around their prey.

"Bite your tongue, cenobite, lest someone else bites it for you!" Cilice screamed, and with that, another chain appeared. It forced Butterball's mouth open and wrapped around his large tongue. It yanked once... twice... and with the third yank, his tongue was freed from his mouth. Butterball chocked and coughed up blood, all while Cilice chuckled. She brought the tongue close to her and held it in her hand.

“That was… aggressive,” the Hell Priest commented. His pause in his words was not from shock, as he knew Cilice well enough to know never to anger her, but rather out of concern that this would be inconvenient to either of them. Cilice smiled softly, much like the smile of a child who just won an award.

“I rather enjoyed that, personally,” she replied to him. Pinhead could not stop himself from smiling.

“I know you did. I am glad, of course, that you did, but mayhaps we should return his tongue to him?” suggested Pinhead. Cilice frowned.

“Now?” she asked.

“Now,” he answered. She pouted. 

“I suppose you get this back,” she pouted as she motioned for the chains to return the tongue to Butterball. They did as she asked of them, returning the tongue not to his mouth, but to his hand.

“Next time you think about saying something rude, remember this moment. When you held your tongue,” Pinhead ordered. Butterball made some rude remark, but without his tongue in his mouth, it hardly mattered to anyone in the room. Flagellum had a look of unique horror on her face, clearly disgusted by what she had just heard about her lover.

“Why does this always happen to me?” she sobbed.

“Because you have a horrid taste in men, and that is coming from me,” a sassy female voice said from within one of the dark corridors. Pinhead had a notion of who the voice belonged to, but his suspicions were confirmed when Cilice rushed off into the corridor.

“Sister!” she called happily. Butterball was trying frantically to shove his tongue back into his mouth when the two figures appeared. Cilice walked back into the area where everyone was waiting, and with her was her cenobite sister, Abigor. Though the two were not related at all by blood, and neither knew the other in their human lives, they were closer than any siblings Pinhead knew. Even the wire twins failed to share as much as Cilice and Abigor did.

“I do not have a horrid taste in men!” Flagellum shouted in her own defense. Abigor raised a pierced eyebrow.

“Really? You mean to tell me that the men you have been with have all been good choices? Flage, I have been with more men and women than you have met in your life, and I _still_ have a better track record,” Abigor replied.

“You killed the last man you were with!” Flagellum countered. Abigor shrugged.

“He was a mission, not a lover. He was only my lover for Vasa,” Abigor responded casually. Cilice bit her lip, knowing that the mere mention of Vasa would likely cause the Hell Priest more pain than Abigor would realize.

“Abi…” she said softly.

“What… oh…” Abigor said, looking over at the Hell Priest. Pinhead’s eyes had glossed over once more, and his vision was blurred.

“I suddenly feel unwell,” said the Hell Priest.

“Not again,” Cilice whined, rushing over to catch him before he fell. She made it in time, catching him right as his vision faded and he fell unconscious.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In another flashback, Pinhead and Face yet again speak about their relationship. With the Vasa Trials fast approaching, time is running out for the two lovers.

_Pinhead walked out of his room to see Face standing on the balcony. He was dressed in a nightshirt and some pants he had found inside Pinhead’s room. The two spent the night together, and it would appear that Face had been the first to awaken. He was staring off into the distance at the buildings within Hell. Pinhead had a room in one of the highest castles in Hell, overlooking most of Leviathan’s domain. It was a perk of being the Hell Priest. One that he actually enjoyed and one Face liked as well. But on this day, when the Hell Priest joined his lover on the balcony, he saw that instead of a smile, Face wore a sad expression._

_“Is something wrong?” Pinhead asked, curiously. Face smiled softly into the distance._

_“Sometimes, Hell Priest, nothing is wrong, yet everything is wrong at the same time,” Face said in a cryptic manner._

_“I am afraid I do not understand,” Pinhead replied. Face sighed._

_“I know. That is why I look distracted,” Face softly spoke. Pinhead walked up beside Face, taking his hands in his own hands._

_“What is wrong, love?” Pinhead asked. Face pulled back._

_“This! This is wrong!” he shouted. Pinhead looked at him, confused._

_“Do you no longer love me?” Pinhead questioned. Face shook his head._

_“No! It is not that at all! I love you with every part of me… but…” Face began._

_“But what?” Pinhead asked._

_“But they are calling us to trial, Priest. A trial for what happened at Vasa. They… they will banish anyone who failed at Vasa. They… they might even execute those who failed,” Face replied in a strained voice._

_“I have not received a notice of this,” Pinhead said, unsure of whether or not he was to receive one later, or whether Lord Leviathan had been merciful to him in this case, because he was given an impossible task._

_“You have not been given your notice yet because they are doing your trial last. There has been talk that your trial will be the second most gruesome of the five trials,” Face told him. Pinhead considered this information, taking a moment before he responded._

_“I see. I suppose that makes sense. Considering the mess Atkins made. He no doubt will get in trouble for killing the people he was supposed to help. I can see the council’s decision there and accept that my trial will be likely as gruesome as his,” Pinhead rambled, but Face’s sobs cut him off. He looked up at Pinhead with tear-filled eyes._

_“My trial will be the most gruesome one…” he admitted in a quiet voice._

_“WHAT?!” screamed the Hell Priest, and those on the other side of Leviathan’s Hell felt the ground shake at the scream._

_“I drove mine to madness, Hell Priest. To chaos. He was ordered, and I drove him towards chaos. I thought I could turn things around but made them worst. Flagellum is testifying against me, and so are some of the other cenobites. Rumors have it that some of your order and my old order will likely testify against me as well. They… they have said the punishment I will face will be like none any cenobite has faced before,” Face informed Pinhead. Pinhead began pacing around the balcony, letting go of Face’s hands._

_“We shall figure something out. I can testify in your favor, and I shall get some others to do so as well. We can…” Pinhead began, but Face shook his head, cutting the Hell Priest off once more._

_“They are going to hurt me in a way no cenobite has been hurt before. You understand that, right? Nothing anyone could do can stop that! I am done for! Screwed! There is no turning this around! It is not a human trial, Priest! They decided I was guilty from the moment they gave me that letter calling me to trial! They know my crimes! They know what I did, and what I failed to do, and nothing can change their minds. I failed, and not only that, but I made matters worse. I…” Face began, but this time the Hell Priest cut him off._

_“What do they plan on doing to you?” Pinhead asked matter-of-factly. Face bit his lip hard enough to draw blood._

_“Something horrid,” he muttered._

_“What is it?!” demanded the Hell Priest as he pushed Face against the railing of the balcony. Face had gone bright red and was looking away from Pinhead._

_“Priest…” Face started, but Pinhead grabbed him by the throat._

_“No! It is Pinhead for you! You will call me that, understand? You will answer me when I ask you a question! Did you think about how this affects me at all?! I might be let off easy. They might call my Vasa failure a mistake, or they may let it go fully, but if you are gone, what do you think I will do? If they hurt you in a way no cenobite has been hurt, how should I go on living?” Pinhead shouted. Face began to sob hard._

_“They are going to make me human!” Face screamed through his tears. Pinhead let him go, stepping back. Tears formed in his own cold eyes._

_“W… what?” he asked in a whispered voice._

_“The council will turn me human and send me to Earth. Memories of Hell still in my mind though, or so say the rumors. They say it is a fate worst than death, and I agree. I can’t go back to being human, Pinhead. I can’t. I’d rather die. I’d rather end it all right here and now if it meant I didn’t have to go back to my old life,” Face told Pinhead truthfully._

_“Those must be false rumors. That is not possible. They would not do that. Not even to someone that did not do as well as they wished on a mission,” Pinhead said in a reassuring voice. But he knew the truth: he was reassuring himself more than Face. He wanted to believe that the council would never do that. Would never take away the gifts Leviathan (and in this case, himself) had offered someone, but he knew that was a lie. He had witnessed such things happening with his own eyes, and one time long ago, it had happened to him. He had found his way back, of course, but it was quite a difficult experience to go through. It was very painful, and not something he ever wanted to repeat. So, in his cold and damaged heart which still beat and still felt love, he knew that Face would go through that punishment should the council decide that._

_“I know there are some here that would give anything to go back to being human, but they had something to live for when they were alive. I didn’t have that. I don’t have that. Pinhead, I am nothing if I am not a cenobite. I am hopeless, and nothing will change that. You gave me my only purpose in life, and they are trying to take that away. I am still wanted for murder on Earth. When they find me, and they will, I will be hung for my crimes… and then I will be sent to another Hell. I cannot survive in another Hell. I would not want to either,” Face told him. Pinhead shook his head._

_“I will not let this be the end. I cannot. We have been through so much. Too much. I cannot let this end like this,” Pinhead insisted. Face smiled sadly._

_“Grant me one last wish then?” asked Face._

_“Anything,” Pinhead replied._

_“Don’t do anything. Let the trial go for me as it must. I will not have you hurt because of me. Please. I could never live with myself if you got hurt or banished because of me. Do whatever you must in your own trial, and then get the hell out of there as fast as you can. Do not look back. Do not stop. Do not talk with anyone else. Just go,” Face demanded._

_“I cannot do that,” Pinhead said in a monotone voice._

_“Why not?! It is my dying wish!” Face shouted._

“Why not? You have no need to defend him, right? I mean, you can find another lover. He is just someone that amuses you. Someone to keep you entertained. A dog, of sorts. You are his master, and he your pet. You can get another pet. Why risk yourself to protect him?” _a voice with Pinhead’s mind questioned._

“ **Because I love him** ,” he replied within his mind.

“Love? You are not able to love. You are a cenobite. Without love or flesh,” _the voice angrily spat._

“ **That is untrue. I am able to love. Many cenobites are able to love. I found love in a place it was not supposed to be, certainly, but nevertheless, it is here. Here with the man standing on this balcony, crying and begging me not to risk my life to save him** …” _Pinhead ranted to the voice within his mind. It was then a thought crossed his mind._

_“I risked my life before to save you,” he commented aloud. Face gave him a confused look, but before he could answer, Pinhead’s vision blurred._

“No! Let me stay!” _he cried, but it was too late._

_Before he faded back into reality though, he saw a vision. One of Flagellum and Face arguing. Before they finished arguing, Flagellum did something Pinhead did not expect._

_She hit Face hard with her whip._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinhead confronts Flagellum about her actions towards Face, and Butterball attempts to come to her aid.

Pinhead awoke with a start. He was in his room once more, and Cilice was sitting beside his bed.

“You are awake! Thank goodness!” she exclaimed. Pinhead gritted his teeth.

“You hit him,” he hissed. Cilice looked confused.

“Hit him?” she asked, but she noticed that Pinhead was not looking at her. He was focused only on Flagellum, who was wide-eyed with worry.

“Wait, who hit who?” Abigor asked, very confused as to the Hell Priest’s sudden rage. “Does this happen a lot?” she whispered to Cilice. Cilice waited a moment before nodding her head.

“Ever since… since Face passed on,” she answered in a hushed tone.

“Priest… it was in a moment of panic and anger. I was not in my right mind!” Flagellum stammered, trying to defend herself. But she knew what the Hell Priest was talking about. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

“No! Clearly you were not! You struck him across the face with your whip! That is considerably **not** in your right mind!” screamed the Hell Priest in a bellowing voice. He got up off of the bed swiftly, moving with a grace and elegance that no other cenobite had. Only the Hell Priest could move with such beauty and horror at the same moment, and it unnerved everyone in the room.

Butterball had moved in front of Flagellum in a futile attempt to protect the woman he was in love with, however this was no challenge for Pinhead. Pinhead muttered some words that no one could understand, and suddenly hooks flew from the corners of his room into Butterball’s arms and legs. The cenobite screamed aloud, his pain and agony clear. His flesh began peeling and some parts came undone.

“Stop! Please! You will kill him!” Flagellum cried from behind Butterball.

“All is fair in love and war, is it not? You caused my lover harm, so I shall do the same to yours! Fairtrade is it not?!” the Hell Priest hissed.

“I say let him keep going,” Abigor said in a casual tone, as though this did not phase her at all. Though, considering her personality and view on Butterball, it _was_ likely she did not care at all.

“No! Please! Take my life! But do not harm him! I know he is not the man I thought he was, but he hardly deserves this!” Flagellum shouted.

“Face did not deserve what happened to him either. Face deserved better. He tried. He did the best he could. I brought him into our world. You should have punished me for not teaching him better, but instead, you piled all that stress onto him. All of the hate he felt for himself was caused by you. All of the pain he felt. All of the horror he had while looking at himself in the mirror. That was you. You and every other damn cenobite that hurt him. But none of you ever blamed me. So, your love shall pay for your sins. Just as my love paid unjustly for mine!” Pinhead shouted back as his hooks tore deeper into Butterball.

“I know what happened to Face was unjust! I know it was wrong but doing this will not bring him back to you!” Flagellum cried out. Pinhead chuckled in the way only a lost man can.

“Do you not think I know that already, Flagellum? I would have given anything to bring him back! I would kill anyone, including myself, to bring him back! I would sacrifice anything to bring him back, but nothing I can do will ever bring him to our Hell!” Pinhead shouted. Cilice cringed back a little. She knew he was serious. He would kill anyone, even her, to bring Face back, but something about the cold harsh tone of his voice shocked her. Abigor grabbed her hand gently, and Cilice squeezed her sister’s hand.

“I know that, but… would this be what he would want?” Flagellum asked Pinhead. Pinhead hesitated for a moment, letting the hooks fall away from Butterball.

­­­­­­­­­“No. It is not. Face… he would… I… I don’t know what he would have done. I don’t know what he would have wanted me to do. I… I didn’t know him. I didn’t know him! I didn’t know him!” screamed the Hell Priest over and over. Cilice rushed over, holding him as he collapsed onto the floor, sobbing hard. The reality came over him in a flood of horror. He did not know the man he loved. He did not know what he would have wanted in this situation. He had not cared enough about the man he was in love with. Never cared to ask about his motives or his cares. His fears and worries. He… he did not know him, and now he would never get the chance to. They would never get to talk again. Never got to feel those strange emotions that the Hell Priest had blocked out so long ago. He would never get to experience that again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the last flashback of the story, Pinhead and Face discuss Pinhead's latest mission.

_“Thank you,” Face said to Pinhead as they walked down the hallways. It was after the Vasa trials, and both were tired and wanted to retire to their rooms. Pinhead had gone against what his love had asked of him. He had stepped in during the trial and got everyone acquitted of their charges. Well, he got himself acquitted, and the trial just ended after he stepped in. Thus, Face and Atkin were off the hook. Quite literally._

_“You need not thank me. I did what I had to,” Pinhead replied. He walked a little while before realizing that Face was no longer walking with him. “What is wrong?” Pinhead asked._

_“There was a letter in your room calling you to another job. Another task Leviathan wants you to complete. Sometimes with various timelines or something,” Face said. Pinhead froze._

_“You weren’t supposed to see that,” Pinhead told Face. Face let a few tears fall._

_“It says you might not be able to come back. Why does it say that? Why is Leviathan sending you there? Why you?! Why can’t he just let you alone this one damn time?!” Face began to scream. Pinhead felt his heart break in that moment._

_“I know what it says. I have to go, Face. I cannot disobey,” Pinhead replied. It was all he could say to stop himself from crying too. Face shook his head._

_“I can’t do it. I can’t be here without you,” he sobbed. Pinhead bit his lip._

_“You will learn to be fine. If I do not return, you will be fine,” Pinhead told Face. Face shook his head again._

_“You don’t get it! I don’t want to be here if you are not here! Let me go with you!” pleaded Face. Pinhead sighed, shaking his head._

_“No. It is risky and I will not put you needlessly in danger,” Pinhead replied. Face moved fast, grabbing Pinhead by the shoulders._

_“Then don’t go if it is that risky! Stay with me! Tell him you have another mission already! Hell, tell him Kirsty is back and bothering you and the Order again! Tell him anything to stay with me! Don’t risk your life! You will die there!” begged Face. Pinhead sighed, pushing Face away. He began walking again. He could not look back, or else he knew he would stay and defy Leviathan again._

_“I will be fine,” he said, and that was where he left it._


	11. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the final chapter of "Photograph", Pinhead goes to Face's old room to collect a few keepsake things. 
> 
> What he finds, however, is much more than a few masks and old awards.

Pinhead sobbed as he came back from the memory. He was fine. Of course he was fine. He had gone through death many times and always came back fine, because he was the favorite of Leviathan. But it was Face who had not been fine. Face who had paid the price for Pinhead’s mission. It was always someone else. As he looked at Cilice, who was trying to ask him if he was alright and if she could do anything to help, he thought back to all the times that he had hurt her. Or that she had died because of him. How many times had he had to bring her back because she risked her life for him? How many times did he cause the death of someone he cared about? During a fight with Lucifer, the Devil had told him that he kept repeating the same movements over and over for all of time. Pinhead had not understood in that moment what the Devil had meant, but now he did. He would lose people he loved time and time again.

“I told him to stay. I begged him to stay. Why did he not stay?” babbled the Hell Priest.

“Cause he didn’t want you to get hurt. We kept telling him that it was a stupid move. When no one else got back, we told him it was a death trap. But he insisted on going back. Even that brat that trapped you there told him not to go. But shit. He was desperate to get you back,” Atkins said as he walked into the room. Unlike normal, he had a sympathetic smile on his face.

“Why did you not move to stop him?” demanded Pinhead. Atkins laughed, but it was a sad laughter.

“Stop Face? When he was trying to bring you back? Are you mad, Hell Priest? There was no stopping that man when he was trying to get you back. Nothing we could have done would stop him. You know, before he left, he told us all something,” Atkins began. Pinhead stood up, trying hard not to cry.

“What did he say?” asked Pinhead. Atkins smiled a little.

“He said, ‘No matter what happens to me, as long as he is ok, I know I will be ok. Because he not only gave me life, he gave me love. Gave me beauty and meaning, and when I was with him… the world owed me nothing and I owed it nothing, because there was no world. It was only him and I, and those were the times I was truly happy. The only time I felt I could remove my mask and be myself.’ That is what he said,” Atkins told Pinhead. Pinhead smiled, tears falling down his face.

“Thank you,” he whispered. Atkins nodded. Pinhead waved his hand, and everyone got the message. He would take some time alone. They left the room, but not before Cilice hugged him tightly.

“One day, you will forgive yourself. I hope that day comes soon,” she whispered. He smiled at her, hugging back.

“Thank you, Cilice,” he told her. She offered him a small smile before rushing off to catch up to Abigor. Pinhead made his way to Face’s room. It was just like he left it. Acting posters covering the room. His old jobs. Awards littered the room. Ones Pinhead made for the cenobite when he first came to Hell.

“I risked my life for you that day when I saved you from the police, Face. That was what I was going to tell you. Leviathan told me to let you die. He told me you were not worth it, but I could never let you go. Because to me, you were worth anything and everything in the world,” Pinhead whispered to the empty room. He then pulled a book back. It was “Phantom of the Opera.” Face’s last performance as a human. He made the book into a trigger for his backroom, and Pinhead loved that. Always the Actor with a capital A. He walked into the backroom, meaning to collect a few of the masks that he admired from Face’s collection. Along the way, he spotted an old photo frame. It contained an image of Face and the Hell Priest walking down a corridor. Pinhead remembered that day. They were talking about how Face kept his masks on, and whether he should change his method. He looked at the name on the bottom of the image.

“With love for both of you, Cilice,” read the photo. He laughed. So, Cilice had known about them the whole time. Of course, she had. Pinhead continued down into the secret room but froze when he saw what was there. He dropped the frame, letting the glass shatter to the ground.

A figure had been grabbing the masks from the room. They were carefully taking them from the hooks and placing them into a bag. They were clearly not a cenobite. They were dressed in a stunning blood red gown, with large red heels and matching red lipstick. They had flowing brown hair and large purple eyes. Eyes filled with fear when the figure had first turned around… but then… filled with love. Pinhead was confused. What was this person doing here? Why were they taking the masks? He was about to summon forth his hooks when the figure’s sobs stopped him. Small, choking sobs. Makeup ran down her face as she smiled softly.

“Valley! We got to go now!” screamed a female voice from farther down the corridor. Pinhead would have shot hooks in that direction, but he found himself unable to move. Those sobs. They sounded… but… it could not be. Yet that look in the woman’s eyes. That soft, sweet look in her eyes. Just like how _he_ looked. That gown. It looked just like the one _he_ had worn that day. The woman, Valley, looked back at her companion, then at Pinhead once more.

“I wish I could stay here, but duty calls. Sorry,” Valley said. Pinhead moved to stop her, but she then rushed up and whispered something to him that made him freeze up. “Goodbye for now, Pinhead,” she had whispered. But the way she said Pinhead was just like how Face had said it. With love and compassion. She kissed him on the cheek, bowed, grabbed the bag of masks, and then began to rush off.

“Wait! What are you?” Pinhead called to her. She stopped midway up the stairs, smiled, and turned back.

“What am I? I am insulted. I’m an actress, love, but don’t you misspell it,” she teased. Pinhead smirked through his tears.

“I know. Actress with a capital A?” he called back. Valley let a tear fall from her eyes, but smirked back at him.

“You know it, baby,” she called. She bowed once more, and then rushed off. Pinhead fell to the floor as soon as she was gone. He, or rather she, was alive. In another Hell, yes, but still alive. He smiled to himself.

“The story is not over yet,”


End file.
